Translation guide
The English word 'hall' covers several distinct spaces. This guide helps learners choose the right Japanese word depending on whether they mean a corridor, a large room, an entrance area, or a public building.
A long, narrow space connecting rooms, like in a school, office, or home.
The most common word for a hallway or corridor inside a building. Used in schools, offices, apartments, etc.
廊下で走らないでください。
Please don't run in the hall.
部屋の外の廊下に誰かいます。
There's someone in the hall outside the room.
Means passageway or aisle. Can be used for corridors, but often implies a functional passage, like in a train or store.
非常口への通路を確保してください。
Please keep the hall to the emergency exit clear.
A big room used for meetings, concerts, ceremonies, or dining.
Loanword from English. Used for concert halls, event halls, wedding halls, etc. Very common.
コンサートホールは満席でした。
The concert hall was full.
市民ホールで講演会があります。
There's a lecture at the civic hall.
Refers to a public hall or meeting place, often part of a larger facility. Used in names like 市民会館 (civic hall).
A large hall or banquet room, often in traditional Japanese inns or old buildings. Sounds somewhat formal or traditional.
The space just inside the front door, like in a house, apartment, or public building.
The entrance hall of a Japanese house or apartment, where you take off your shoes. Also used for building entrances.
玄関で靴を脱いでください。
Please take off your shoes in the hall.
マンションの玄関に宅配ボックスがあります。
There's a delivery box in the apartment hall.
Lobby or foyer, used for hotels, theaters, office buildings. More public than 玄関.
Loanword for entrance, often used for stylish or modern building entrances.
A dormitory or residence hall at a university.
Dormitory, student hall of residence. Commonly used for university or company housing.
大学の寮に住んでいます。
I live in a university hall of residence.
Specifically a student dormitory. More explicit than 寮.
A large, impressive house in the countryside, often historical.
A mansion or stately home. Can be used for historical manor houses.
その邸宅は16世紀に建てられました。
The hall was built in the 16th century.
A grand mansion, emphasizing size and luxury.
田舎の大邸宅をホールと呼ぶこともあります。
A country mansion is sometimes called a hall.
廊下 is a corridor, 玄関 is an entrance hall where shoes are removed, and ホール is a large room for events. Don't use 廊下 for a concert hall or 玄関 for a corridor.
廊下は狭いですが、ホールは広いです。
The corridor is narrow, but the hall is spacious.
English 'hall' covers many concepts. Always think about the function of the space before choosing a Japanese word. Using ホール for a corridor will cause confusion.
結婚式はホテルの会館で行います。
The wedding will be held in the hotel hall.
旅館の大広間で夕食をとりました。
We had dinner in the inn's great hall.
Let's meet in the hotel lobby.
The museum's entrance hall is spacious.
学生寮はキャンパスの近くにあります。
The student hall is near campus.